Darin and I enjoyed river rafting with my work friends right before I had the stroke last year. (It was an exciting trip, that I had a hand in planning.) Near Jackson, the water was mainly calm, but when we encountered the rapids, we had quite the wild ride! The big boulders in the water gave us a thrilling trip. 

I was thinking of the small pebbles versus the huge rocks. Those small pebbles have probably traveled a long distance down the river as the water current pushed them along. They were flimsy and movable, with no disernable density to root them down. The small pebbles had no substantial foundation to keep them secure. But those large boulders possessed some major density to stabilize against the rushing current. They had substance and weight to stand up against the roughest of waters. 

(I feel a moral to the story coming…) Are we the pebble or the boulder? Do we go with the flow and run with the crowd and go with the current trends or the popular ideas of the day? Or do we have enough weight, also called internal fortitude, to hold strong withstanding the rush of every fleeting notion? (I never thought I wanted to be heavy!) But heavy means stable, strong, immovable in this case. The way I get heavy is to consume good things. (Be a gluten for good.) Holy scriptures, uplifting books, words of inspirational people, wholesome entertainment, and good friends all contribute to your weight. 

Richard J. Maynes is a BYU graduate in business and international management with minors in accounting and economics. He has worked in top management of many foreign companies. Currently he is a LDS church leader, and in the Presidency of the Seventy. (Which is pretty high up.) What he says is always incredibly wise.

I’ve also recollect the concept put this way, “Wherefore, stand ye in holy places, and be not moved.” (That comes from a book called Doctrine & Covenants, Section 87) Now, a holy place isn’t just in a chapel or temple. It’s anywhere virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy. Hang with the heavy rocks, or people with high standards. These habits will guarantee you won’t get caught drowning in the flow and find yourself out of control washed up in today’s torrent. 

“Solid,,,,,solid as a rock.” Be a rock not a pebble!